Report: Facebook Plans to Unify WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger

[engine]

According to a report, Facebook is planning to unify WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger functions at their most basic levels, including end-to-end encryption.

While all three services will continue operating as stand-alone apps, their underlying messaging infrastructure will be unified, the people said. Facebook is still in the early stages of the work and plans to complete it by the end of this year or in early 2020, they said.

By stitching the apps’ infrastructure together, Mr. Zuckerberg wants to increase the utility of the social network, keeping its billions of users highly engaged inside its ecosystem.

Report: Facebook Plans to Unify WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger [nytimes.com]

[tangor]

Utility? Or can a bunch of folks working in niches purchased and margins are diminishing? And still fighting the reality that 50% of FBs "user base" is bots?

Then again, could be streamlining as all three are the same thing ... "instant" or "chat" while on line. Funnel it down to a single interface and simplify the workforce yet again. Whatever statement, it is all about killing off branches and bringing the product (users) closer to the core biz.

[jamie]

do one thing and do it well. i think this cross pollenization will destroy the focus and simplicity of whatsapp and instagram. it might even have a negative effect by making it clearer that all these properties belong to facebook - which i think many people don't know about. i think it's a mistake.

[tangor]

If you can't beat 'em buy 'em out ... and their patents, too.

This has been happening for a couple of centuries. :)

[Mark_A]

I had been thinking of having a play with Instagram.
I didn't know it was a fb company, will rethink this now.

[engine]

MarkA
It goes back a while

Apr 19, 2012
$1bn on Instagram [webmasterworld.com]

[Mark_A]

:-) engine you can tell I like to keep up to date :-)